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1. We’re very excited to be speaking today with acclaimed Nashville-based CCMA nominated singer and songwriter extraordinaire Callie McCullough; greetings and salutations, Callie! Before we dive into the proverbial Q&A musical rabbit hole, how has the freshly-minted autumn of 2023 been treating you? I’m loving it! Growing up, my family had apple farms, so that first smell of fall air and drink of apple cider always makes me feel like thanksgiving and home!
2. Major congratulations on your gem of a new single release What If I Don’t! What served as the inspiration for this catchy and poignant ditty? Thanks so much! It’s definitely a fun one! I mean story time…summer 2020 I went from supposed to be touring my brand new album to in lockdown back home on my family farm…right around the time I turned 30…it felt like all of a sudden everyone around me wanted to talk to me about my ovaries…and that get’s super weird really quick…it was all well meaning friends and relatives and friends of relatives letting me know I was going to “run out of time to get married and have a baby” so right around the time my mother asked if “I’d ever thought about freezing my eggs” I sat sown by the lake and wrote this song….it’s all pretty funny and lighthearted but the frustration was real…lol…
3. Who was your producer on What If I Don’t and what did the collaboration between artist and producer look like in the studio? I’ve been working with Grammy Nominated Nashville Producer Dave Brainard (Brandy Clark, Jamey Johnson, Jerrod Nieman) on the new batch of tunes and we’re having a blast! When we first met up, I talked about really wanting to weave all the sounds of the music I love together (Celtic, bluegrass, traditional country, folk) with this new project and I just knew he totally got it right away! I’ve been such a fan of albums he had Produced in the past, and it’s been really exciting to bring these songs to life together…I’m thrilled with how they are sounding!
4. How is What If I Don’t similar to some of your past music such as After Midnight? How is it different?
I think with all my songs, there’s a certain narrative where you can hear different sides of who I am as a person coming through…After Midnight is my whimsical, fly me to Paris Romantic side….What if I Don’t is all sass…if you sat and had a conversation with me, you’d see a lot of that attitude …I’ve never been one for being told what to do that’s for sure!
5. We love the music video for What If I Don’t! Were you very involved in the behind-the scenes production of the music video?
Hey thanks so much! Oh yeah, I was very involved in every part of conceptualizing this video…I had worked with Director Ryan Nolan on my last video for ¾ Time which we had a blast doing…and I knew right away he would get the humour of this one! We spent a long time chatting about silly ideas like putting $1200 shoes in a baby stroller, dressing me up as an old lady, and creating these characters we would bring to life…day of the characters shoot there was also just a lot of improv involved…the video is silly, it’s lighthearted and it’s fun…and also…fake babies from prop houses are terrifying and they will likely haunt my dreams forever….
6. In your humble opinion, what differentiates What If I Don’t from the Distinguished Competition on the 2023 music scene? There’s so much great music being released these days – and I love hearing it all!
7. What if I Don’t for me is a really fun fusion of 90’s country, some grassy elements, and some newer hookier sounds like handclaps, and a whole lot of badass musicians and killer harmonies…it’s just fun!
7. On the heels of the release of What If I Don’t, can fans look forward to an EP or LP release from you in 2024? There’s definitely lots of new music coming…can’t say exactly when a whole project will be ready; but definitely stay tuned for some new tunes next year!
8. What does your touring/performing dance card look like in the coming weeks and months?
Slowing down a little for the winter, and picking back up again in spring…I’m pretty excited about some festivals and bigger shows we have coming for next season, as well as buckling down into the studio to keep working on new music for the winter!
9. Who inspires you musically?
I’m a big fan of artists who have paved their own path and have long careers of letting the music and artistic integrity lead the way…John Prine, Emmylou Harris, James Taylor, and Joni Mitchell to name a few
10. As a singer and songwriter, which generally comes first for you – The lyrics or the music?
That’s a bit of a hodge podge- honestly each song is pretty much it’s own journey….sometimes a melody idea will pop into my head if I’m out walking or driving, sometimes a lyric jumps to mind out of nowhere, and sometimes I’ll intentionally sit down to write and the first thing will be a guitar lick…creativity is pretty fluid…it just goes where it wants to and our job is to catch it…
11. At the end of the day, what do you hope folks walk away with after giving many-a-listen to your new single What If I Don’t?
Just a lighthearted feeling of fun and freedom and the empowerment to embrace the season of life you’re in- don’t let anyone else’s timeline for life dictate yours…you do you baby
12. Final – SILLY! -Question: Favorite movie about the music scene – Sweet Dreams, Walk the Line, Almost Famous or The Thing Called Love?
Almost Famous obviously…
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